


Mako

by Zimithrus1



Series: Can I Get a sliceofclack? [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Because yes, Clack, Cloud has emetophobia, Cloud's a Third-Class now, Fluff, Intimacy, Kissing, M/M, Mako injections, Needles, Sick Cloud Strife, Sickfic, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Vomiting, and clingy, and giggly dare I say, cloud gets really loopy, just a couple a cuites really, sliceofclack, zakkura
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24985744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zimithrus1/pseuds/Zimithrus1
Summary: Cloud finally makes Third-Class and achieves his dream of becoming SOLDIER - though there's a catch: He has to pass through Mako treatments first and the side-effects they come with.Thankfully, he has someone to look out for him as he adjusts.(Originally titled Nervous - didn't fit the theme for all chapters)
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Series: Can I Get a sliceofclack? [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1808548
Comments: 26
Kudos: 189





	1. Nervous

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the #sliceofclack event over on the ol' Tumblr :)  
> (Check it out or even be a part of it if you want!)
> 
> Otherwise, I hope you enjoy :)

He did it.

  
After three long years of blood, sweat, and tears, gnashed teeth, thick callouses, and complete exhaustion… he finally made SOLDIER. Cloud finally aced his tests and got promoted to Third-Class.

  
And Zack couldn’t be more proud.

  
He helped train him and guide him these past years, not only as a friend, but a mentor and kindred spirit as well. And in Cloud’s victory, there was a sense of accomplishment in himself as well. He helped the most important person in his life fulfil his most important, sought-after dream. That alone was euphoria and made him beam a bright, blinding smile at anyone and anything.

  
With this victory, even their bond grew. What could be described by others as something already untouchable or unbreakable had become something more－otherworldly.

  
But with this new-found accomplishment came its own set of daunting hurdles.

  
Cloud had made SOLDIER yes, but there were still things he had to do before that title would become corporeal in his hands.

  
Namely, Mako treatments.

  
Those were hard on all Third-Classes. (Himself too, once upon a time.) After all, they were getting Mako－an already genetically mutating substance－injected directly into their veins to give them those trademark SOLDIER qualities/abilities.

  
And now, that was something his Cloud would have to experience.

  
Today in fact.

  
Scheduled for June 29th at 9 AM, Cloud’s Mako treatments would begin today.

  
Here, at 8:53 in the morning, Zack walked down one of the many halls of the infirmary wing, rounding corners and sliding past medical personnel with a quick grin and gentle apology－thick boots with faint traces of dirt echoing his steps with a low clap against the tile.

  
There was no way he was missing out on his kindred spirit’s first treatment. (He already signed the paperwork stating he would be the primary caretaker after said treatment, as well as the ones after that too.) So, what better way to be there for him than to be present during his first treatment? He already knew of Cloud’s aversion to needles, so being there for him would make the process go that much smoother. (He would have been there the same time as him, but he didn’t hear the alarm go off－ _ _and Cloud didn’t wake him either.__ )

  
His thoughts stopped in their tracks when his Mako blue eyes caught sight of the room he knew Cloud would be in. The doorplate next to the cracked metal door read the number 203. That was the room alright.

  
With a calloused hand, he reached out to the long handle, grabbed it, and pushed the door open quietly.

  
He popped his head in first, glancing around the room before entering fully.

  
On the bed－small hands clasped and crammed in his lap with a nervous spark in his eyes－coyly sat Cloud. Some of his bangs fell over one of his eyes, and even from the few meter distance, Zack could clearly see the nervous red blush painting those cheeks across the room. His casual clothes fit loose and baggy as they always did; black shirt nearly hanging off a shoulder and green cargo pants around his hips.

  
He looked nervous beyond all belief.

  
“Heya!” Zack called with quiet exuberance.

  
Cloud quickly glanced up with widened eyes, but upon seeing him they shrank to normal size and a faint smile traced his lips. “Hey, yourself.”

  
Zack fully stepped into the room and repositioned the door exactly how he had found it, then cut across the tiled, white-washed room to properly greet his kindred spirit.

  
He placed a gentle kiss to his forehead and pushed some of those wheat-hued bangs from his face, fully exposing those soft blue eyes. Now that nervous red blush on his cheeks played chameleon and flourished pink. Those eyes then dared to glance to the side.

  
“Hey, don’t be nervous,” Zack smirked, cupping his hand around that flushed face. When Cloud’s eyes looked back at him, he smirked bigger. “I’ll be right next to you the whole time.”

  
“...You better.” Cloud sighed. 

  
Even though he looked like a shy turtle, he still attempted to keep the sass he had come to expect. It was his way of being tough－and he loved him even more for that.

  
“Of course, Sunbeam.”

  
Yes, Cloud; his ray of light, his brightest star－the center of his universe. He’d gladly spin circles around him for the rest of his life no matter how dizzying.

  
He was truly the warm, nurturing sun in Zack’s world. Life-giver: blessing him with a new sense of purpose.

  
“Knock, knock!” A voice sang as the door was rapped against.

  
Cloud instantly tensed and Zack glanced behind him to see who had the task of administering the treatment today. 

  
It was a face he was familiar with. This kind lady had been the one to give him his first treatment many years ago. Though she wasn’t as young as she had been then－the laugh lines around her eyes and the faint silver streaks in her brown hair giving that away.

  
Knowing he should probably move now, Zack spun around Cloud and joined him on the bed instead, sitting on his left side.

  
“So, you must be Cloud: the newest Third-Class, yes?” She grinned.

  
“Y-Yeah, that’s me.” Cloud cleared his throat, as if trying to expel the nerves from his body through that action.

  
Zack just smiled at him.

  
“It’s wonderful to meet you! My name is Dr. Hampton and I’ll be the physician in charge of your first treatment today.” She beamed back at him, as though the warmest smile she could muster would quell his nerves.

  
“It’s, nice to meet you too.”

  
Dr. Hampton pulled some purple-framed reading glasses from the collar of her pink shirt and pushed them to her eyes, soon after scanning through some papers in a clipboard in her hands.

  
Cloud swallowed thick and the hands in his lap now went to wringing out his fingers. He even hung his head down a little and the bangs that were once out of his face fell into place over his eyes.

  
“Cloud, it’s okay,” Zack assured gently, taking the time to push those bangs out of his face again. “Dr. Hampton is really good at this.”

  
Hesitant blue eyes glanced at him from the corners. “…How do you know that?” He tried to sound curious, but it came out as another spark of overactive nervousness.

  
“She was in charge of my treatments too! She’s got a real light touch and when she did it I didn’t even _feel_ the needle!”

  
From his own peripheral vision, he could see Dr. Hampton smile at that. Though he didn’t know if words alone would be enough to stave Cloud’s premeditated fears.

  
About that time, she stopped trifling through the paperwork in the clipboard and set it on an already set up medical cart close by. On that cart, her diligent hands swept up an IV bag (full of Mako of course), and a needle to administer it with.

  
Cloud went chameleon again and changed his facial color to white, completely erasing the red and pink from it. Even his eyes seemed to play the changing part－they shrunk so small his pupils turned to pinpoints.

  
Zack didn’t really know why Cloud had such an aversion towards needles, (they never did discuss it), so all he could really do was just tell him it wouldn’t be that bad.

  
“I think I’m gonna be sick…” Cloud uttered when he saw Dr. Hampton readying the Mako IV to a stand.

  
Zack held up his hand, palm turned up. “Hand.”

  
Hesitantly, slowly－but most of all surely－Cloud raised up his hand and placed it in his own, even if his eyes were still locked on to the IV drip. He gave that clammy hand a tight but quick squeeze.

  
He found it was the best way to calm him down and keep him grounded at the same time. Otherwise he had a bad habit of letting his fears or overactive thoughts take over and send him through a hectic, panicked spiral.

  
“Don’t you worry a bit,” Dr. Hampton smiled tenderly from the cart. “All it takes is a quick little pinch and that’s it.” She rolled the drip over and stood in front of them, still smiling.

  
“...” 

  
Cloud turned his eyes away and found contentment in staring at his scuffed shoes.

  
“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve had some patients much bigger and burlier than you practically break down crying and beg me not to give them the Mako drip… and some of them have passed out and thrown up on me.”

  
That did have him raise his eyes and actually look at her. She, on the other hand, took a glance at the arm still folded in his lap.

  
“Besides, you have good veins. That makes it easier for the both of us.” Her smile grew. She turned on her heel to double back to the cart and grab a few more things.

  
“See?” Zack mused, giving that hand in his another squeeze and adding a quick peck to his temple. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

  
That same hand squeezed back faintly and Cloud simply nodded his head with a soft hum.

  
Dr. Hampton returned in front of them with a tourniquet in her hands and a patient smile on her face. “Alright then, may I see your right arm?”

  
With a faint grimace, Cloud extended the hand in his lap until his arm was up and out and he swallowed thick again.

  
Gentle precision was used as she wrapped the rubber strap around his arm and tied it off above his elbow.  
“Alright, while that’s going I can set…” She trailed off to herself while she attached the needle to the IV tube, checking the connection to the bag as she did so.

  
Cloud took in a shallow breath (though it shuddered on exhale), and that was all it took to clue Zack in that he might start quietly panicking.

  
“Hey…” His free hand clasped around the hand already in his. “Just think of this as your last hurdle to making SOLDIER.”

  
At the reminder of why they were even here, it steadied Cloud’s breathing and his exhale was strong and smooth. Even his face regained a natural flush.

For added assurance, Zack squeezed those fingers in his hands and smiled. That smile of his only grew when his Sunbeam returned it almost as bright as his pet-name.

  
Dr. Hampton finally fiddled the drip’s set-up to completion, donned some latex gloves, and readied the needle with a quick tap.

  
Cloud slammed his eyes shut when her hand went to steady the one he held out, his breath held in his lungs. He squeezed his hand as tight as he could and braced for impact.

  
Just one pinch, a little wince,

  
Then it was done.

  
One eye slowly peeked back open, as though if he opened his eyes all the way it might hurt more. After that eye opened, so did the other, and he quickly realized it barely even hurt.

  
“Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Dr. Hampton beamed.

  
“That… that’s it?” 

  
His voice sounded so meek and timid－almost like he had lost his first tooth all over again. It made Zack chuckle.

  
“That’s it.” She smiled. “And if you’ll give me just a moment there’s a few things I need you to go over and sign for me, okay?”

  
“Oh, sure.”

  
“Okay, I’ll be back shortly with some forms.”

  
She gave out one last pearly smile before softly clicking her way out of the room, cracking the door as it had once been cracked before. Then her steps slowly faded away, clacking against the tile outside until they were heard no longer.

  
Cloud looked at the tube in his arm, eyes watching the Mako flowing out of it and into him－though it looked as if the sight was going to make him puke. Before he could think too much about it, Zack made sure to cut in.

  
“And now you are officially, without-a-doubt, one-hundred percent, a tried and true blue, bonafide－”

  
“Zack.” Cloud exhaled with a smirk.

“Hey, I’m not done yet! Bonafide, fair and square…. uh… fair and…”

  
“Don’t hurt yourself.”

  
“...s…Super duper Third-Class SOLDIER!”

  
Cloud cocked an eyebrow at him. “ _Super duper?_ Really?”

  
“What?” Zack admonished. “would you rather’ve had me say _‘the bees knees’?_ ”

  
“Please don’t say that,” Cloud lightly laughed and shook his head. “It sounds so weird coming from you.”

  
“Bees knees, bees knees, b－”

  
A pair of lips on his own shut him up quick. He just hummed and smiled into it.

  
It was his favorite way of Cloud telling him to be quiet.


	2. Treatment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From here on out - Cloud's a metaphorical puppet to the Mako and it's effects

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *screams into the void*  
> Editing things on this new laptop of mine is a real pain, everything just gets so bunched up together and gets rid of any italics I might've had. -_-

Cloud read the forms－he read through them as thoroughly as thorough could be.

  
He read all about the effects and ailments Mako would have on him after entering his system (and how long it would take to start feeling them).

  
He read all of the known allergic reactions to the substance and how they would affect him if his body reacted poorly to it.

  
He even read up on all of the weirdest after-effects Mako could have after the initial treatments and follow-ups.

  
He read every guideline, warning, and notice on those Mako treatment forms.

  
But they didn’t prepare him for actually _experiencing_ it. 

…his head hurts.

“Cloud? Hey, you doin’ okay?”

  
Zack’s voice comes in warbled and muted and his head feels so light and heavy at the same time. It’s like he’s trying to hear after stuffing cotton balls in his ears and it feels as though his head has a cold.

  
It’s nothing he can’t handle, but it still sucks all the same.

  
“I’m… okay…” His head throbs.

  
Then, he feels a warm hand slide over his forehead and linger there. The touch feels nice at first, but the heat becomes annoying after only a few moments.

  
He tries to pull his head away with a little effort, but becomes so wobbly he starts to fall over.

  
He hears a faint, muted gasp and hands are suddenly supporting him, catching him from the fall.  
It’s not like it would have hurt that bad; they were still sitting on the bed in the infirmary waiting for his Mako drip to run empty. (Which was almost there, maybe less than a quarter left.)

  
“Wow, the Mako’s hitting you faster than I thought it would.” Zack’s voice informs.

  
He’s pulled back into a sitting position with strong arms. But these arms almost hurt for once. The grip on his own body feels too tight, too constricting.  
The discomfort must’ve shown on his face, because he sees Zack’s face contort into pained empathy.

  
“Sorry. I didn’t think your body would already be this sensitive,” He states. “Normally, touch sensitivity doesn’t start until a little after the drip is finished.”

  
For some reason, Cloud can’t remember ever reading that in the papers he had to look through and sign.

  
“It does?” He voices the question as best he can, but judging from the look on his boyfriend’s face, he knows it came out wrong.

  
“...Yes?” Zack’s voice hesitantly responds back. “You just read through it less than ten minutes ago.”

  
“Oh…”

  
Has it really only been ten minutes? It feels like he’s been sitting here for hours.

  
He watches Zack lean over and pick up something from the now empty medical cart. It ruffles in his hands and it’s only when it’s brought to his face does Cloud realize it’s the forms about his Mako treatment side-effects.

  
He licks his thumb and uses it to swipe through the papers, shifting them and scanning them.

  
But the sound is harsh on Cloud’s ears－like sandpaper grating against itself right beside him.  
He raises his hands to his ears and presses the palms of his hands flat against them, muting that shifting, grating sound enough to pass for tolerable.

Zack looks at him with surprise. “Sound sensitivity too?” He stares hard at the papers in his hands, brow furrowing in concentration. “That shouldn’t happen until an hour after the drip is done.”

  
Did it really matter _when_ it would happen? It was obviously _going_ to happen, so why sound so surprised about it?

  
“What… is that, bad?” Cloud tries to ask.

  
“Excuse me?” Zack dumbfoundedly asks him, turning confused eyes at him now.

  
“I said, is that, bad?” Cloud repeats with a bit more force.

  
“Sunbeam, you’re slurring－I can’t tell what you’re saying.”

  
He’s… slurring?

  
It doesn’t _feel_ like he’s slurring. His voice in his ears sounds normal to him.

  
“Your face…” Zack breathes. One hand breaks away from the papers and calloused fingers brush over his left cheek.

  
The touch tickles and he finds himself bubbling up a giggle. He might’ve been more worried about his face or how he was slurring, but the little tickle completely distracts him.

  
“That tickles…” Cloud grins, though his face feels like it stretches too wide.

  
But it seems as though Zack understands that, because a grin of his own washes across his tanned face when he speaks. “It tickles?” He grins again.

  
Cloud sloppily nods his head. “…Yeah.”

  
That hand stays on his face while his eyes and he exhales softly, (probably relieved that he didn’t feel as bad as he might be looking).

  
Each little stroke makes him giggle and he doesn’t know why－it just tickles. But it doesn’t bother him at all. On the contrary, he rather likes it.

  
“Let’s see…” Zack’s voice trails as his eyes comb through the papers again.

  
At first when Zack grabbed him to stop him from falling over it hurt. But now, just having his hand press lightly on his face and rub his cheek－he really likes that.

  
Cloud nuzzles his face further into his hand and hums out a surprisingly squeaky noise of endearment, (even for him), and once again he captures Zack’s attention.

  
“Does this not hurt?” He asks as he thumbs over his cheek again.

  
“No~” Cloud giggles in almost a loopy fashion. “It still tickles~”

  
Zack laughs and his eyes crinkle in tandem. “Well, you’re _definitely_ experiencing touch sensitivity, but at least it doesn’t hurt you－that’s good.”

  
Now his head feels lighter than before. It doesn’t hurt all that much, and in fact, he feels as if he doesn’t focus his head might swell up like a balloon and float away.

  
He knew lots of people abused Mako as a drug－the Mako Junkies as they were called－and now he could kind of see why. Apparently the right dosage of Mako can make someone feel lightweight and loopy and giggly too.

  
But then again he wasn’t fully finished with his drip yet. Who knows how he would feel once it finally finished.

  
“Good, your face has some color back.” Zack says with another smile that makes his eyes twinkle. “And you’re not slurring as much.”

  
“I hope it’s blue－that’s my favorite color~” Cloud titters.

  
“You hope it’s _blue?_ ” Zack’s grin is full-blown. Then he laughs loud and his shoulders bounce. “This Mako’s got you so silly.”

  
“ _You’re_ silly.” He purrs. He puts all of his head weight into the hand on his cheek and practically lays on it.

  
“True.” Zack agrees with another bouncy laugh. “Let’s just hope after your drip finishes you’re one of the lucky ones to stay like this.”

  
“Does everyone not feel like… this?” Cloud asks as he rubs his face all over his boyfriend’s hand.

  
“About an hour after the drip finishes, usually no.” Zack informs. His smile stays glued to his face at his loopy behavior. “But whatever happens, I’ll be here to take care of you.” His smile is so warm and bright.

  
“Really? No take-backsies?”

  
Another laugh. “No take-backsies.” He confirms.

  
Zack goes to pull his hand away from his face, which earns him a sharp noise of protest and he goes to lean into it again.

  
However, he’s reminded his body isn’t moving how it normally does and he goes right back to falling over again－only this time he’s falling forward.

  
Zack immediately opens his arms with a quick gasp and catches him in time, the papers float to the floor in exchange.

  
“Goodness Gaia, you’re being awfully cuddly.” He says. His voice is light and without malice. (He knows he likes it.)

  
“I don’t care~” Cloud giggles and nuzzles his face into his neck.

  
Arms swarm around him and hold him, not too tight, and not too soft－just right. It’s perfect: perfect warmth, perfect pressure... just, perfect.  
In his Mako-loopy haze, Cloud thinks, and realizes he is so grateful he has Zack in his life. (It’s almost overwhelming.)

  
He’d never really admit it much to others－or even out loud to himself for that matter, (he’s much too proud)－but it’s the truth. He really is grateful for his best friend, mentor, and kindred spirit, Zack.

  
The thought alone makes tears well up in his eyes and he’s overcome with a rare display of raw emotion. Be it due to his Mako-inebriated state, or just a moment of letting his guard down in public, he embraces it.

  
So, he cries.

  
It’s soft, it’s quiet－but it’s raw and powerful. It immediately grabs Zack’s attention.

  
“Cloud? Hey, hey, what’s wrong, why are you crying?” His tone is so tender and full of care. “Are you hurting?”

  
He just shakes his head sloppily. “No, it’s not that…” He says in between sniffles.

  
He doesn’t know how to articulate his words－he’s never been very good at that. Speaking from the heart is hard for him. He’s so used to keeping everything bottled up inside, whether those emotions be good or bad. He’s so used to his whole self being sealed up tight in a glass jar－letting people see him, but not letting them _in._

  
Zack was the first person he ever let take the lid off his jar.

  
“Hey, Sunbeam, talk to me－what’s going on? I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.” His voice is warm, so loving.

  
It coaxes the words out somehow.

  
“I just… I really love you, Zack.”

  
He hears him inhale, and if he could see his face, he knew it would be just as warm as his voice.

  
“I really do. I love you so much.” Cloud continues, finding his words in between his quiet, powerful hiccups. “You’re kind and… funny and… supportive a-and if it wasn’t for you, I… I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you and, and…”

  
The arms around him swarm closer, but not too tightly. He feels a face beside his and warm breaths ghost his neck. He feels so safe. The words bleed freely from his mouth, and it’s then he says something he never thought he’d say.

  
“...I never want to leave your side. I… want to be with you forever.”

  
The arms are tight, and even though the touch hurts his Mako-sensitive body, he embraces it.

  
“You… really mean that?” Zack’s voice sounds so thick and watery. He sounds like he’s about to cry. “You’re… not just saying that because you’re dopey on Mako are you?” He jokes with a wet laugh.

  
It makes Cloud let out a liquidy laugh too. “Nu-uh,” He quietly admits. “That’s really, how I feel. The Mako jus’ makes it easier to say.”

  
A tender kiss brushes against his cheek and it lingers for a moment. “I love you too, Sunbeam. And I promise－I’ll be with you until the end.”

Cloud has never felt happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the chapter! More to come tomorrow :)


	3. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mako treatments suck, Cloud figures out. (But at least Zack smells nice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was supposed to update this yesterday, but completely forgot! ^^; So, I'll just post two chapters today! Hope you enjoy!

Cloud still feels loopy when the Mako drip is done.

  
He still feels light and silly when the tube is removed from his arm and bandaged up with practiced precision.

  
He’s still giggly even when Dr. Hampton－the kind physician who administered his Mako treatment－talked with him about changing his bandages after a few hours. (Something about Mako trying to seep out through the puncture or something, but he just nodded at it－he’s too spacey to pay attention to it all. Plus, he has Zack to help him there.)

  
But his Mako high starts to slip away when he has to wait for a half hour to make sure he has no horribly adverse side-effects to the substance, as per Dr. Hampton’s directions.

  
His euphoria is completely gone when that half hour ticks over.

  
And he’s no longer bubbly and giggly.

  
His head pounds and weighs his neck down like a ton of cinder-blocks. (It sucks). His body’s slow and almost non-responsive to any of his tired mind’s commands, and his insides coil like worms beneath his skin and it takes everything in him not to puke at the mere thought.

  
Everything’s heavy and coiled and heavy and－wait did he say heavy twice? He doesn’t know left from right and even his thoughts don’t make sense.  
He’d shake his head to clear out the thoughtless muck, but that’d hurt too much.

  
He just wants to sit still forever and never move again.

  
“－ud? hey are y－”

  
Is that Zack? He can’t tell, (his head is pounding too hard and too loud and his ears feel fuzzy and muffled), but he doesn’t want to look and see. If he does he’ll just hurt worse.

  
He feels something circle his arms and the touch alone feels like sandpaper scraped against a nasty sunburn. It stings so bad he pulls himself away with a quick jerk that upsets his equilibrium. He expects to fall and hit the bed, but he doesn’t－he’s grabbed and supported by his back. 

  
And it hurts. His whole body is up in needle-y chills and it hurts.

  
_‘It hurts it hurts it hur－’_

  
Zack’s face then quickly comes into his distorted view. He can tell he’s worried, but it’s hard to distinguish anything else. (Everything’s so opaque.)

  
“Cloud? Hey, hey what’s h－”

  
He can’t tell if Zack is trying to ask him a question or not. His hearing keeps phasing in and out and it’s hard to make heads or tails of it. He should at least try and answer him.

  
“...rts…” his groggy voice manages to croak.

  
“What?”

  
He hears that question easy－it’s only one word.

  
“It… hurts…” 

  
“It hurts? Sunbeam, what hurts?” Zack moves some of his hair from his face with a light touch. Thankfully _that_ doesn’t hurt.

  
But what _doesn’t_ hurt is the real question. (His teeth? His teeth don’t hurt.) But how is he even going to manage telling his boyfriend what hurts if he can barely even say something hurts??

  
Cloud feels his face scrunch up. “All…”

  
“All? All like… all _over?_ Or… _everything?_ ”

  
He nods as best he can but even that hurts and his face winces again.

  
“How does it hurt, Cloud?” Zack is petting those bangs framing the side of his face. It’s the one thing that doesn’t hurt.

  
“Head… sunburn…”

  
“Okay,” That gentle voice says. “Okay, I see.”

  
He understands (somehow).

  
“Let’s get you home－I think you’ll feel more comfortable there.”

  
It’s all the time he’s given before he’s hoisted off the infirmary bed by Zack’s sturdy arms.

  
His stomach turns to rocks and sinks as he’s lifted up, (the blood in his head doing the same), and the upsurge to vomit tickles the back of his throat.  
He swallows that urge with a thick gulp, though it makes his voice produce a pitiful squeak.

  
“Sorry. I’ll be as careful as I can.”

  
But with a touch that doesn’t hurt him, his head is leaned into the crook of Zack’s neck, and it’s here when he realizes it’s not only his sense of touch that’s been altered.

  
His sense of smell is astronomical.

  
Whiffs of dirt, of palm trees and summer come flooding in. A spice－sweetly fragrant with a burning kick－subtly gentle… cinnamon perhaps?   
Smokey cinders of after-scent linger, like burning tinder in the woods at night… firewood.  
A twinge of salt, like a warm ocean breeze.

  
…Is this… Zack’s scent?

  
It’s not subtle, but it’s not overpowering either. It takes his nausea away.

  
It actually makes his head pound less too. If he just breathes, right here, nice and slow, the pounding might eventually go away.

  
When they move, he just has to focus on that scent to stay grounded. If he focuses on that it makes everything less heavy, less painful. So he breathes deep, inhales that scent, and takes in the radiating warmth of Zack supporting his limp frame.

  
He almost feels comfortable now, as though he’s simply sick in the summertime.

  
“Hey,” Zack’s warm voice purrs. “You okay, Sunbeam?”

  
“Mmm…” He manages to hum a response that doesn’t sound pitiful or pained.

  
He can’t see it, but he can practically hear the smile on Zack’s face. “Good.”

  
“You smell…”

  
“I _smell?_ But… I took a shower and everything.”

  
“Good smell.” Cloud quietly clarifies. “A ‘you’ smell.”

  
“A ‘me’ smell?” Zack sounds quite perplexed, but a small inhale and an ‘ohh’ shifts the demeanor. “Looks like your first treatment even altered your sense of smell. You must be really reactive to Mako.”

  
(Reactive seems like an understatement.)

  
“But don’t you worry your pretty little head about it!” He announces with a flourish of pride. “I vow to take such good care of you that the worst you’ll ever feel throughout this whole Mako ordeal is mildly annoyed!”

  
Cloud kinda doubts that, but at the same time, appreciates the love and sentiment behind his satire. He knows Zack may be spry and witty most of the time－but he means everything he says.

  
He knows no matter how bad he feels, Zack will always be there to care for him.

  
The very thought alone almost makes him hurt less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! :)


	4. Sensory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud's senses hit overdrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and todays entry actually on time! Hope you like it!

Thanks to his first Mako treatment, Cloud hears so much more than he ever thought he could.

  
He can hear Zack’s breathing against his ear like rumbling thunder. Can hear his heartbeat thumping loud and strong like a bass drum. He can hear his footsteps echoing sharply against the tile, his eyes flinching out of reflex at each step. He can even hear the creak in the leather of his boots with each step forward.

  
He can hear almost every minute noise down the corridor they walked; the buzzing of the fluorescent lights above, the chatter from a noisy passerby or two, the hum of the air conditioning from the vents near the ceiling…

  
 _Even his own breathing_ sounds ragged and harsh in his ears and now he’s hyper-aware of his _own_ heartbeat.  
He still hears all of these sounds while still being wrapped up in Zack’s sturdy arms, slowly carting their way back to the flat they shared.

  
He’s too afraid to peel his half-closed eyes away from the soft navy of his boyfriend’s shirt, afraid that if he does his eyes will suddenly see too much and bring his headache back.

  
(His hearing alone almost makes one come back.)

  
“Hey… how you holdin’ up, Sunbeam?” Zack’s voice is calm and tender, as tender as can be.

  
But even that’s a little loud.

  
“Everything’s… _loud._ ” Cloud moans and scrunches his eyes shut.

  
“Sorry,” Came Zack’s winced reply. “There isn’t much I can do about that right now.” His voice rumbles against his ear and it makes his head vibrate.

  
Cloud decides to close his eyes all the way and tuck his face away, hoping that it might somehow make his hearing dim. If anything, the thumping of Zack’s heart gets stronger and his breathing sounds like strong gusts of wind.

  
“But once we get back to the flat, I’m sure you’ll feel a little better.”

  
“...I wish we were there now…” Cloud moans into the navy blue cloth and feels his breath against his face very warmly.

  
“I know, I know…” Zack’s voice purrs smooth, a comforting lull in his tone. “But we’ll be there soon－just a bit further down this hall and an elevator ride and a bit down that hall and we’ll be home.” A tender kiss is placed atop his head.

  
His lips dip down against the top and the soft warmth feels nice. He feels the breath, the crevices in the skin, and how the shape of his mouth gently caresses an old knot under the skin from a childhood injury. It makes his skin break out in feel-good chills.  
He’s so aware of the touch it makes his senses shift to that alone and suddenly the world doesn’t seem so deafening.

  
Cloud hums a gentle note of approval with still closed eyes, and he curls his hands around the blue fabric by his face.

  
He hears Zack hum a note similar to his and he kisses the top of his head again, a bit further back from the first initial plant.

  
Once again the chills shoot through his body and he feels almost every fine hair on his body stand on edge. He likes this. He likes it more than he ever did before. It’s soft, soothing, gentle… it’s safe.

  
For feeling so weird from his Mako treatment, he’s never felt more safe－despite his obvious venerability.

  
“Okay Sunbeam, can I ask a little favor?” Zack’s voice rumbles near the top of his head.

  
“Like…?”

  
“Well, we’re at the elevator, but with you in my arms I can’t really press any of the buttons.”

  
Cloud knows he has to open his eyes now, but he doesn’t want to with every fiber of his being.

  
He does anyway.

  
He’s kept them closed－or at least half-lidded－for so long that now they’re open, everything is so bright and milky. (Feels like he just opened his eyes after a major optical surgery.)

  
His bleary eyes tear away from the soothing comfort of Zack’s deep navy shirt and over towards his left. It’s blurry and a bit doubled, but he can see the elevator buttons about a foot or two away.

  
With his left hand－the hand closest to the buttons－he reaches out and presses a finger against the cool surface.   
Though when it sparks after contact he pulls his hand away as quickly as possible. Now there’s a blurry, finger shaped divot in the button and the plastic coating appears cracked.

  
How did that happen? All he did was press the button.

  
“Okay, bad idea,” He hears Zack nervously say. “I didn’t think you’d already be denting things this soon after treatment.”

  
“I-I broke it…?” Cloud inhales. “But… all I did was…” His voice thickly trails and now he feels bad－like, ashamed bad.

  
Zack must’ve heard the watery warble in his voice because he’s already consoling him. “Hey, hey, it’s okay, it happens to everyone after their first treatment.”

  
“...I just pressed it… how did I…?”

  
“You’re just gonna have to get used to your new strength is all.” He feels one hand that’s supporting him by the legs pat him a few times.

  
“New…? But how? I… I feel weak…” 

  
“You’ll feel like that for a while unfortunately,” Zack informs. “You’re actually not weak at all－if anything, your strength’s been doubled.”

  
“.…How?” It’s the only thing he can really ask. (He’s a bit too unstable to think of anything more coherent than that.)

  
But Zack chuckles, the sound vibrating against his ear. “That’s what it means to be a SOLDIER: all of your senses get enhanced, and that’s including physical strength too.”

  
…Does that mean Zack went through what he’s _going_ through?

  
“Were you… like me… too?”

  
Cloud decides to hide his face away into the soft navy shirt again. He doesn’t want to look at the button he broke anymore－or at least made a permanent indention in.

  
“Oh yeah,” Zack agrees with a soft bounce. “ _Just_ like you.”

  
It’s then the elevator door finally opens up, the metal sliding open with a gentle creak. (Though it screeches in Cloud’s ears and makes him squish his face entirely into his boyfriend’s shirt and close his eyes again.)

  
He feels his head shift a little when Zack gently moves his arm, the crook of it tenderly easing his head against his chest.

  
Thankfully, no one is in the elevator, so it makes entering it a snap. There’s no one to worry about bumping into or no weird glances or stares to fret over.

  
Zack’s careful as he guides them both inside the steely box. “Okay, let’s see if I can…” His voice trails as he shifts an arm, sticking out his elbow to try and reach one of the floor buttons.

  
Cloud might’ve offered to help, but he didn’t want to break another button. He already felt guilty enough as is.

  
But Zack’s elbow presses the right button and the doors slide closed, the sound much gentler than it was when they initially opened. It’s not long after when it starts to ascend to the indicated floor.

  
Even through closed eyelids, the elevator light is still blinding and shines bright red through the skin. He can even see his veins. Cloud scrunches his eyes tighter and moans, tucking his face away in Zack’s shirt completely.

  
“We’ll be home soon, Sunbeam. Just bear with it for a little longer, okay?” Zack’s voice soothes, a gentle vibration against his ears.

  
Cloud moans in response and clenches that shirt in his hands. This Gaia-damn elevator light was starting to make his head throb again. He knew if his headache came back he’d be absolutely miserable all over again.

  
But another soft kiss gets placed to his head again and it brings back the feel-good chills.

  
“I noticed you don’t moan as much when I do this, so I assume it helps.” Zack smiles as he does it again.

  
“Yeah…” Cloud agrees quietly, feeling almost like normal as he’s kissed again. “It’s the only thing that… really helps…”

  
“It makes everything else seem dull in comparison, yeah?”

  
“...Yeah. How… how’d you know that?”

  
Zack pecks his head one more time before he clarifies. “When I got my first Mako treatment, I was very sensitive to sound right off the bat－kind of like you. Angeal－my old mentor, I think you’ve met him－figured out if he messed with my hair it would distract me from everything else.”

  
“Messed with how? I imagine he didn’t… kiss you like you’re doing for me, huh?” He’s almost surprised a bit of his sass comes back.

  
Zack laughs a good-hearted laugh. “No, nothing like that. He’d just ruffle up my hair with his hand, or maybe work out any tangles I might’ve had.

  
Cloud could picture that as clear as day for some reason.

  
“But y’know, I’d say we’re pretty lucky.” Zack beams.

  
“Lucky how?”

  
Another kiss is placed to his head. “I can kiss you and it makes you feel better.”

  
“Sounds like a win-win to me.” Cloud agrees as the chills continue to flow through his body from each peck to his head.

  
The elevator finally slows to a stop and the doors open shortly after. Once they step out, Cloud decides to open his eyes again－half-lidded though.

  
“Alright, just a few more steps and we’ll be home－then we can get you nice and comfy.”

  
As out of it as he may be, he feels as though anywhere else wouldn’t be near as comfortable as being in Zack’s arms.

  
“Oh shoot, did I forget to lock the door this morning?”

  
They must be approaching Zack’s flat, which is where Cloud stayed almost twenty-four seven even when he had infantry drills in the morning.   
Though come to think of it those days were most likely behind him now. He hoped now that he was a Third-Class, he’d have the option to live on this floor too. Maybe even officially live with Zack if it was allowed.

  
“I’ll beat myself up about not locking the door later.” Zack laughed. “It just makes getting you in here that much easier.” This time he kissed him on the forehead.

  
It made his chills spike exponentially.

  
“Okay Cloud, we’ve got two options here.”

  
Cloud decides to open his eyes a little more and look straight at Zack. His form is still a little blurry, but most of the milkiness is going away.

  
“I can set you down and open the door myself, or I can hold onto you a little longer if you open the door－ _gently_.”

  
Right off the bat Cloud knew the option he wanted to take.

  
As carefully and lightly as careful and light could be, Cloud reached out and took the doorknob in his hand, twisting it slow and cautiously like a hesitant turtle.

  
Zack tittered. “I figured that’s what you’d want.”

  
And somehow, Cloud manages to open the door without breaking it or leaving any indents on the knob. He feels the cool of the flat’s AC instantly wash over him and he shivers slightly. (Though the darkness inside does wonders for his eyes.)

  
“Home at last.” Zack announces with a smile as he steps inside. He shuts the door with a precisioned kick.

  
Cloud’s eyes swiftly adjust to the dim light of the flat－faster than he thought they would. In this dimness, the milkiness in his eyes goes away completely and his blur is substantially reduced.

  
He can see the soft, brown couch they spent many afternoons on watching TV, the shaggy white rug right in front of it splayed over the wood floor below. His eyes took in the soft creamy color of the walls, appearing much more colorful than they used to be. The pictures on the walls even seemed to have more life than he remembered.  
The living room might not’ve had any windows, but Cloud could see the faint beam of light coming from the hall past the kitchen, where he knew the window in the bedroom was.

  
Zack moved them through the flat, across the floor until they stood in front of the couch.

  
“Alright, I’m going to set you down on the couch for a minute, Cloud. I’ve got some things to set up real quick.”

  
He didn’t have any time to make a sound or protest in any way, because Zack had already laid him down on the couch and propped his head up against one of the throw pillows.

  
“I’ll be right back.”

  
“Wait!” Cloud exclaims－the loudest he’s been since the treatment－loudly enough to make his own ears ring and he winces and whimpers in tandem.

  
“Hey, it’s okay,” Zack soothes. “I won’t be going far.” He runs a hand over his cheek and gives him a reassuring smile. “I’m just going to get the bedroom set up so you can be as comfortable as possible.”

  
“But I already _was_ comfortable…” Cloud admits with a strong red, chameleon blush.

  
His words bring a beaming smile to his boyfriend’s face. “Well, aren’t _you_ flattering~”

  
Then lips are on his own, and if Cloud thought his chills were intense before－he was wrong now.  
Every hair on his body stands on edge and his stomach twists into a delightful knot and he feels so lightweight again－like he did when his Mako treatment gave him a high.

  
But Zack pulls away too soon. “You’ll get more of those _if_ , you let me set the bedroom up.”

  
He doesn’t want Zack to leave his side, but he supposes the trade-off would make up for it.

  
“...Okay.” Cloud mutters.

  
A calloused hand brushes bangs from his face. “Thanks Sunbeam, be back in a jiffy.”

  
With that, Zack pulls away from him and heads toward the bedroom with careful steps.

  
So, Cloud waits for him to ‘set up’ or whatever that means, and tries not to focus on how hyper-sensitive he is again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halfway through! Hope you enjoyed it! :) More to come soon!


	5. Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More than just Cloud's senses get messed with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally wrapping up the first week of prompts! It's been a blast writing these chapters, I've had a ton of fun writing about this stuff! And thank you to all who've left kudos and comments, you've really helped me more than you know! <3

Trying not to focus on how hyper-sensitive his body feels is harder than Cloud thinks it would be.

  
He figured that since he was back in Zack’s flat－a place he practically called home too－then it would make him feel more comfortable.  
Turns out that wasn’t really the case.

  
Now that he’s laying on the couch alone while Zack readies the bedroom for him－the fresh Mako from his first treatment as a Third-Class flowing through his veins－he realizes how hyper-aware he actually is.

  
He’s suddenly cognizant of how hot his skin feels compared to the cool softness of the couch, how heavy his limbs are even though he’s completely stationary, and how taxing it is to simply be conscious.

  
His core feels so cold, like winter brewing in his chest. He’d shiver if his body would allow, but the heaviness nestled in every part of it keeps him sickly still.

  
Now that he’s had his eyes open for so long, (not half-lidded like earlier), they itch and burn and sag as though he received a prior poor night’s sleep.  
He’s hot and cold and tired and achy.

  
He feels even worse now that he’s here, resting on this couch alone. 

  
He doesn’t have anything to distract himself with and he wishes he did. (Or he wishes someone would just knock him unconscious.)

  
If he could find enough strength to reach the TV remote laying against the coffee table just a few feet away from him, then _maybe_ it could help.

  
But he could barely twitch a finger now, let alone sit up, reach out, and grab the thing.

  
Well… he could always _try_.

  
Cloud forces his heavy limbs to move with a bit of careful effort. He manages to move his arm and drape it off the couch－that’s a start at least.  
But what if he tried using all of the strength he had? Surely _that’d_ get him better results.

  
Without thinking twice, Cloud sends all of his strength to his gut and forces himself up quickly. He does it so fast and with such force he practically throws himself to the other side of the couch and eats cushion.

  
His head spins wildly from the motion and impact and it makes his stomach drop in tandem. Now he’s delirious and woozy and nauseous and he’s seeing stars flicker in his eyes even with his face smushed into the couch cushion. 

  
Either the couch or himself somehow must’ve made a loud noise, because he hears a muted “Cloud?” coming from the bedroom, and it’s not long after that he hears footsteps coming his way.

  
Then there’s a muted gasp from close-by and Cloud feels something slide under his shoulders before easing him upright.

  
Now that he can see again, he wishes he just kept his face buried in the couch because even his vision is spinning like his head. Everything blurs and sways and he can barely tell what’s around him or in front of him.

  
“Cloud, what happened? Are you okay?” Zack’s voice actually sounds a little panicked.

  
“...I－” 

  
He tries to answer, but the nausea billowing in his stomach rises to his throat and he finds himself vurping (a mix of burping with a bit of vomit－very disgusting stuff), and a trail of bubbly acid dribbles from the corner of his mouth and onto his shirt.

  
“Oh goodness, Cloud!” Zack gasps with a tone full of worry and concern. Without hesitation he wipes the bubbly acid from his mouth as though it was only spit.

  
But now that taste is in his mouth and it makes his stomach gurgle and his mouth waters fiercely.

  
Zack must’ve heard his stomach rumble, because now he’s suddenly being swept up off the couch and into his arms and presumably being rushed to the bathroom.

  
The rush only makes the dizziness and the queasiness worse and his stomach pushes more acid up his throat. And even though it burns and it’s hot and disgusting, Cloud keeps it in his mouth. (He’d feel even worse if he retched all over his boyfriend.)

  
His mouth is almost completely full by the time Zack rushes them into the bathroom and turns on the light, and once Cloud sees the blurry toilet lid up, he spews everything from his mouth just as he’s lowered down.

  
Thankfully most of it goes in with a splash, but the sound of it alone makes his stomach hurt worse and now he’s retching into the toilet forcefully.

  
He feels Zack pull his hair out of his face and hold it back while he expels the contents of his stomach, and then he feels a hand running soothing circles across his back.

  
When he feels like he can’t get anything else up, that hand pats him on the back and it _makes_ him get more acid up and out. Which he hates, but also kind of appreciates. (Because if he doesn’t get all of it up now then he’s only going to be back in here later.)

  
He just _hates_ throwing up－he hates it _so_ much. Loathes it entirely. Not only is it just gross and annoying, but he always ends up crying every time he pukes. As silly as it sounds, he’s actually afraid of throwing up.

  
When he pukes it’s always loud and throaty and never seems to stop, and he can’t breathe when he does and his whole body clenches. It freaks him out and scares him and hurts him and he hates it.

  
But after what feels like eons, he finally, _finally_ , stops retching.

  
Cloud pulls away from the bowl with a pitiful moan as he feels the tears dripping from his eyes. (And some mucus from his nose joins in too.)

  
“Ohh, Sunbeam, I’m so sorry.” Zack consoles while still rubbing his back. (He knows how much he hates and fears throwing up.) “If I knew you were going to end up this sick I wouldn’t have left you in the living room alone.”

  
Cloud can’t really respond. Most of the dizziness is gone and the nausea is only a dull ache, but he still feels so heavy and sick and talking just sounds so tiring.

  
“Did you try and get up earlier? Is that why you were face-down on the couch?”

  
He’s able to at least give a weak nod at that, but decides he should at least flush the toilet now that he’s done.

  
Before he even has a chance to raise his hand up, Zack already reads his mind, reaches out, and flushes it down himself.

  
“Alright, Sunbeam, promise me that if you need _anything_ you’ll call for me, okay?”

  
Cloud hesitates at first, knowing just how well he likes to be independent no matter the circumstance, but at the same time he’d rather not repeat this situation－so, he nods gently in agreement.

  
Zack places a kiss to the back of his head at that. “Okay, good. Now, let’s clean you up.”

  
Without even needing to get up or move too far, Zack simply stretches behind him a bit and fiddles with the shower nozzles, the sound of rushing water soon greeting their ears.

  
It reminds Cloud of a waterfall－or sounds just like one at the very least. If he shuts his eyes and pictures that, then his sense of sound doesn’t become overloaded.

  
A warm bath always did make him feel better after throwing up.

  
“And while that’s going,” Zack says, catching his attention. “Let’s get you out of these clothes. I imagine you don’t want to smell like puke all day.” He jokes at the end.

  
Cloud doesn’t really have time to agree because his shirt is already being carefully hoisted up by the bottom hem. Though he agrees internally－he hates the scent of retching－and raises his arms up as best he can.

  
His skin breaks out into those chills again when Zack’s bare hands brush over his back and his sides and it almost makes him shiver. Though he eventually does when he feels those diligent hands trace the back of his neck. (His neck’s always been sensitive, so that’s nothing new.)

  
The bathroom starts to slightly steam by the time his shirt comes off and is placed on the floor nearby. Zack reaches back and fiddles with those nozzles a little bit more, though one arm stays curled around his middle to help keep him upright.

  
At least when it comes to this kind of touch-sensitivity, Cloud likes it. All the other sensitivities can burn in Ifrit’s Nine Circles of Hell.

  
“Okay, shoes and socks next.” Zack tells him before he already gets to work untying his shoes.

  
For the most part, Cloud sits there and lets him do it, but also moves or helps when asked. And his help is kept simplified, nothing too over the top. (If he did any more than the bare minimum right now he might get chided for it.)

  
And by the time the bathtub is full of gently steaming water, he’s down to just his pants and boxers.

  
“We’re gonna have to stand you up for this part.” Zack informs as he gets to his own feet.

  
With strong, guiding hands, he hoists him up slowly underneath his arms until his feet are under him. Once they are, Cloud stands upright for the first time since his Mako treatment earlier this morning. (Though Zack keeps a hold of him for support.)

  
He feels way too tall and far away from the ground, like he’s a massive giant and the tan tiles below his feet are dust clouds at his ankles. It makes his eyes shrink and his knees buckle.

  
“Woah!” Zack cries as he catches his dead weight.

  
“Zack… Zack, I’m too high...” Cloud says, his voice raw, scratchy, and slow with unease as well.

  
“You’re okay, Cloud.” He’s consoled. “Just don’t look at the ground.”

  
Taking that advice, he raises his head and looks straight ahead, his eyes connecting with a picture hung up on the wall.

  
It’s a nice picture. It’s a calming ocean-view below a beautiful sunrise on the beach. He tries to imagine standing in it, toes in the sand and the warm sea breeze on his face, rather than feeling like a much too tall giant.  
He closes his eyes and pictures it all－seagulls cawing, the waves lapping and breaking against the shore, the salty scent in the air from the warm ocean water, summer heat bleeding freely… 

  
It’s like he’s on vacation at Costa Del Sol.

  
He’s so dream-swept he’s completely unaware he’s being undressed with overcareful hands. And it isn’t until he’s fully unclothed that Zack pulls him out of that dreamscape by kissing the back of his neck softly.

  
Cloud slowly opens his eyes, reality transporting him back into the bathroom of the flat he loved staying at with his kindred spirit. But when he realizes he’s now fully nude he gets embarrassed and self-conscious and plants his face behind his hands.

  
“What are you doing, Sunbeam?” Zack chuckles from behind him.

  
“...being embarrassed.” He coyly responds back.

  
“Embarrassed? About what?”

  
“I’m… naked...”

  
Zack actually laughs at that, so much so he can hear his shoulders bounce like his voice. “You say that like this is the first time I’ve seen you stark-ass naked. We’ve been dating for how many years now?”

  
“...a lot…”

  
“Yeah, a lot is right.” Another laugh. “I don’t see why you’re all nervous and coy－we’ve been doing this for at least five years.”

  
“...but I’m naked… and fucked up on Mako…”

  
Zack laughs with his whole soul at that, almost unable to stand upright and keep supporting him. (For some reason it just makes Cloud blush hard and he never wants to peel his hands from his face now.) But he manages to stay standing and even catches a breath.

  
“Ohh, what would I do without you?” Zack sighs and places a gentle kiss on the side of his neck. “My Sunshine.”

  
Cloud still feels about eight levels of embarrassed, but he pulls his hands away from his face and smiles faintly.

  
He never really understood why Zack always called him Sunbeam or Sunshine－his bet was on his hair color－but he loves it all the same. He just feels really important when he gets called one of those little nicknames.

  
“Okay, let’s get you in the bath.”

  
Cloud’s lifted off his feet just moments after the words leave his boyfriend’s mouth, but the action was done slow and easy, which left him feeling quite normal (as normal as he could be in his state), instead of dizzy or queasy.

  
With great care and firm, guiding hands, he’s eased into the warm bath and cautiously leaned back against the back rim by the shower wall, in order to rest his head a bit.

  
The water is the perfect temperature, surprisingly. Cloud figured it’d be much too hot or way too cold due to the Mako affecting his nerves and senses, but it’s actually just right.

  
He closes his eyes again and re-imagines his Costa Del Sol trip, only this time he’s _in_ that ocean, resting in the lapping waves. He even hears the seagulls again and he feels so soothed he could fall asleep.  
“Feels good?” Zack asks.

  
“Mm-hmm…” His response back is relaxed and cushy.

  
“Hey, just don’t keep your eyes closed too long－I don’t want you to fall asleep in there.”

  
“...Why?” What’d be so bad about that? At least he’s _comfortable_ in here.

  
“Well, if you’re not careful you could drown.”

  
“Zack, I’m not going to drown… in a bathtub…”

  
“Maybe not, but I still don’t want to take that chance.”

  
It’s only when he feels a hand stroke over his cheek does he open his eyes. He finally sees Zack’s face up close without any kind of milky blur or double vision, and the expression on his face is so fond and loving.

  
“I love you, Cloud. And I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. You know that, right?” He cocks his head to the right and rubs his cheek with his thumb－an action he really, really likes.

  
“Well… yeah. Of course.”

  
“Good.” Zack nods and smiles.

  
“Besides… I’m not worried about… drowning or anything. It won’t happen.” Cloud states with some old confidence. (He hasn’t had that confidence since he passed his exams to make Third-Class.)

  
“How do you know that?”

  
He pulls his hand up from the water and places it over the hand rubbing his cheek and softly beams. “Because you’re here. I know… you’d never let that happen－you said so yourself.”

  
Zack shakes his head faintly, but the smile on his face grows exponentially. “I did say that, huh?” He muses. Another hand touches his other cheek. “And I mean it, every word; I love you, and I’ll always be here to protect you.”

  
Cloud beams brighter. “I know you will－you promised me you’d be with me until the end.”

  
Zack returns the beam. “Until the bitter end.”

  
They seal those words with a fervid kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading guys! See you in the next chapter tomorrow! :)


	6. Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud gets a moment of reprieve from his Mako-delirious state

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter of the week! I hope you've all enjoyed the chapters and I hope they were up to par!  
> Next set of chapters for the next week coming soon, but until then,  
> thank you so much for all of your support and kind words! :)
> 
> hope you enjoy!

Cloud’s hands and fingers and the soles of his feet are practically pruned by the time Zack helps him out of the bath.

  
It’d be nice if the Mako could get out of his system after a hot bath, but unfortunately it doesn’t.

  
(Hard to believe he would be stuck feeling like this for about a week－give or take a few days, depending how his body adjusted to it.)

  
He loves Zack being there for him too, of course, he just hates how _dependent_ this Mako makes him. He’s been pretty much independent his entire life, and now he’s at a point where he doesn’t have that anymore.

  
It’s weird to say the least.

  
But, he supposes it’s the price he has to pay to be a Third-Class SOLDIER.

  
He feels a towel wrapping around his wet body and it’s then he hears a voice. “Cloud? You okay?”

  
He realizes he’s spacing out only when Zack calls out to him. His face looks worried. (And for some reason there’s another towel draped over his shoulder, though he doesn’t know what that one’s for.)

  
“The bath didn’t make you dizzy, did it?” A hand gently touches his back and because of the warm bath it almost feels cold.

  
“No,” Cloud gently shakes his head. “I just… kinda got lost in thought.”

  
At least the bath made his voice sound better－if not more coherent and less raw. (Let’s hope he doesn’t throw up again.)

  
In fact, the bath actually made him feel… pretty normal. Feels nice to not be disoriented.

  
“You’re sure you’re okay?”

  
“Mm-hmm.”

  
“You’re not, nauseous or, anything…?”

  
“Mm-mm.”

  
“...Okay.” Zack sounds hesitant, but the emotion on his face eases away with a smile. “Then let’s get you all dry and cozy~”

  
When his kindred spirit starts drying off his body, Cloud’s Mako-blitzed nerves remind him to be sensitive to touch, and it’s then he feels each pill of the aged cotton fabric tickle his skin and it makes him lightly shiver.

  
When it brushes over areas that were already sensitive _before_ the Mako－like the back of his neck or around his thighs－he gasps and the shiver becomes a quivering shudder.

  
“Sorry,” Zack sheepishly winces. “I’m trying to be gentle.”

  
“It doesn’t hurt, it ju－” He shudders again when the towel dries the sensitive patch of skin around his hips. “－It tickles.”

  
“I’ll say,” Zack notes. “You’ve got chills everywhere.”

  
“Yeah, I’ll second that say.” Cloud comments.

  
“But, it is nice to see you all spunky again, even if it’s only for a little bit.”

  
“Yeah, the bath actually made me feel better.”

  
“That’s good!” Zack beams. “It’s good you’re almost like your old self within the first twenty-four hours－means you might be able to get through this faster than most.”

  
“I hope so.” Cloud sighs the agreement.

  
“Alright, before the steam in here can actually make you dizzy, let’s get a wiggle on.” Zack smiles as he lifts him off the floor and into his arms.

  
“You did _not_ just use old slang on me again.” Cloud leers as he wraps his arms around his boyfriend’s broad neck.

  
A shit-eating grin is given as a response to his rhetorical question and if he was actually feeling at his one-hundred percent best, he would have smacked him for that. So, he just settled for pinching the back of his neck. (He could get away with that at least.)

  
“Ow!” Zack yelps. But there’s a smile on his face, so Cloud knows it didn’t actually hurt. “I see how it is. You feel even _remotely_ better and your first instinct is to pick on me!”

  
“In my defense you didn’t say anything note-worthily stupid while I was disoriented.”

  
“Well then, don’t make me do that when you _do_ slip!” Zack’s tone was light and full of the volume it usually carried.

  
Though his voice at full capacity did upset his Mako-stimulated hearing and he winced at the exclamation, ducking his wet head into the navy shirt his boyfriend still wore.

  
“Oh, sorry, Sunbeam.” Zack apologized and corrected his volume, sealing the apology with a quick kiss to his wet blond spikes.

  
“It’s okay.” Cloud accepts it, but keeps his head tucked away.

  
Here, it’s cozily warm and he can smell Zack’s natural scent the best. (It’s the one good thing about his Mako treatment; he’s able to smell his favorite smell even better than before.)

  
A cold chill suddenly racks through his body starting at the arms, so he peels a single eye away to see what’s amiss. They aren’t in the bathroom anymore, but instead had walked across the hall and into the bedroom already without his knowing.

  
Zack hadn’t been kidding when he said would set up the bedroom earlier.

  
The comfiest sheets and throw blankets adorn the bed, and his favorite pillows are situated just how he likes them when he lays down. The box fan sitting on the dresser they sometimes share is on and circulating cool air throughout the room too.  
He even spies a pair of fuzzy earmuffs, a bottle of water with a worn label, and a chocolate-drizzled granola bar sitting on the end table next to his side of the bed, and the bathroom trashcan is next to the table on the floor with a fresh plastic sack lining it.  
Even his comfiest clothes are neatly folded on the foot of the queen-sized bed, his eyes immediately recognizing the black sweatpants and the oversized cactuar shirt. (The cactuar shirt is actually Zack’s, but he steals it so often it’s practically his－he just loves the smell.)

  
“I just finished putting the clothes on the bed when I heard you make a weird sound from the living room.” Zack tells him as he walks them over to the bed.

  
“You… did all of this for me?” Cloud blinks absently, almost taken aback with how wonderfully kind it is.

  
“Of course! I planned on setting the TV up in here too, but I kinda ran out of time.” Zack admits with a lopsided grin. “But we can still use my laptop for movies and stuff.” He recalls as he sets him down on his side of the bed.

  
Cloud doesn’t really know what to say.

  
He knew Zack had signed off on the papers to be his primary caretaker after his first Mako treatment, but he didn’t think he’d go to these lengths just to keep him comfortable. He was expecting more like, lay in bed all day and drink nothing but water and soup and sleep for eighteen hours.

  
Did Mako make people’s emotions haywire too? Because now he just wanted to cry.

  
“Uh-oh, you feelin’ sick again, Sunbeam?”

  
Cloud looks up－not even realizing he’s been staring at his toweled lap the entire time－and Zack is kneeling in front of him with a concerned furrow in his brows.

  
“N-No…” Cloud’s tone is thick and watery, like it was before during his Mako treatment high.

  
That furrow only tightens and now there are warm hands on his knees. “You’re upset?” He quickly pinpoints.

  
“Yeah－I mean, no not like that, I－”

  
But Zack gives him a lilting chuckle and the furrow in his brow softens. “What, did you think I’d only be taking care of you by letting you do nothing but sleep in a bed all day and eat nothing but soup?”

  
_Yes, actually－that’s exactly what he thought._

  
“...Yeah…” Cloud warbles and tears blur his eyes.

  
“Oh, Cloud, you goof.” Zack smiles and wraps him up in a hug, even while kneeling on the floor. “You really think I’m just going to feed and water you like a dog?” He shakes his head. “No way－we’re partners, and partners take good care of one another.”

  
Cloud nestles his head into the crook of Zack’s neck and sniffs thick, clearing the mucus from his nose while taking in the source of his favorite－now heightened－scent.

  
His back is rubbed and he hums his watery approval.

  
“Oi vey, I forgot to dry your hair.”

  
Zack pulls away from the embrace only to grab the smaller tan towel still slung over his shoulder. “After this I’ll help you into those comfy clothes.” He smiles brightly.

  
Once that towel goes over his head and starts to massage and squeeze the excess water from his hair, Cloud is instantly lost in the euphoria of it.  
It tickles and give him chills, but it smooths and soothes at the same time. It’s like thin little needles perfectly warmed running through his hair and heating up his head. Even the pilling of this little towel feels like bliss, at least compared to the towel on his body.  
It feels so nice and so warm that his eyes close and his toes curl－especially when the back of his head and neck are massaged dry.

  
Zack giggles. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”

  
“Uh-huh…” Cloud drowsily replies as though he were half-asleep.

  
“Yeah, it was my weakness too.” Zack fondly recalls as he continues the motions.

  
Cloud feels as though he could peacefully slip into a deep sleep and stay that way all day and all through the night. If only the Mako made him feel like this all the time, rather than the horrible dizziness, weakness, and sickness he felt before.

  
He dreaded knowing it was going to come back sooner or later.

  
“Okay, that ought’a ‘bout do it!” Zack grinned and pulled the towel from his head.

  
Cloud slowly opens his eyes when the towel leaves his head, and before he has the chance to pout or complain about the absence, lips are on his own and pressing in gently.

  
He hums into it and returns it eagerly, drowning in the wonderful sensitivity against the flesh and pleasant warmth brewing in his belly.  
But when he feels Zack pull away, he actually whines at him and grabs his shirt to keep him from moving away.

  
“Hold up, are you _pouting?_ ” Zack sounds playfully endeared.

  
Cloud simply tugs at the bottom of his navy blue shirt, attempting to beckon him back over. (He knows he’s pouting too, but he doesn’t want to admit that.)

  
“As much as I want to keep kissing your cute little face, I gotta refrain－it’s still your first day with Mako in your system, and I don’t want to push anything too far just because you feel okay right now.”

  
He knows in order to get what he wants, he’s going to have to pull out his trump card. (Normally he gets extremely self-conscious about acting like this, but right now he doesn’t care－or at least it’s the Mako that makes him not care.)

  
So, he looks up at Zack through his eyelashes and tugs on the hem of his shirt again, even going so far as to muster up the cutest, softest squeak he can muster.

  
He hates playing the cute card, but today, he’ll play it so his Mako-blitzed nerves have something else to focus on. (Rather than, y’know, being sick and disoriented for no reason.)

  
He doesn’t even really want to take anything too far either－he just wants an excuse to get his kindred spirit to kiss him more.

  
“ _Ooohh_ , no you don’t!” Zack crosses his arms over his chest. “Any other day I’d jump you the _second_ you pulled out the cute card, but today? No way.” He shakes his head.

  
It’s almost like a game now; Cloud knows in order to beat the boss and claim his reward he has to amp up his strategy.

  
He tugs at the shirt still in his grasp again, using just a bit more force than the first time. It’s enough to get Zack’s torso to lean, but his feet remain cemented to his spot.

  
“Not happenin’, buddy.”

  
He deepens the pout and squeaks at him again, but he’s denied once more with another head shake.

  
Hmm… his cute charm ability isn’t working very well. Perhaps he should switch strategies.

  
So, he goes for the ‘I give up－psyche!’ play-style.

  
Cloud turns his pout to a huff and settles his eyes on the change of clothes laid out for him. “…Fine…” He mutters.  
(He would like to get out of this towel at least.)

  
Zack’s eyes narrow, and he knows he’s suspicious of his quick change without much of a fight. “…I’ve got my eye on you.” He comments as he steps away to grab the clothes, but stops by the dresser first to get him a fresh change of boxers too, probably.

  
Cloud had to fight so hard from cracking a grin right then and there. He’s right to be suspicious－but he has _no_ idea when he plans to strike.

  
The clothes are taken from the foot of the bed and brought over where he sits, Zack’s eyes less narrow, but his body language still showing his skepticism. “Alright, no funny business－capeesh?”

  
He simply nods his head in understanding without a word.

  
“Okay then.”

  
Zack helps him on his feet, just high enough off the bed to take the towel wrapped around him and toss it to the side. (He shivers when its thin warmth is gone－the fan still on and blowing doesn’t help either.)

  
Carefully, he’s held in place－halfway leaning against the bed but still upright－while the cotton boxers are hooked under his feet and pulled up to his waist, followed soon after by the soft, black sweats he loves so much.

  
As soon as Zack starts to guide him to sit back down so he can help him into his shirt easier, Cloud initiates his secret move: the ‘pretend to slip and fall’.  
All he has to do is angle his foot and lean back, and it’s enough to upset his already unbalanced equilibrium and actually cause him to fall back. (Thanks Mako treatment!)

  
“Woah, woah!” Zack cries as he hurries to catch him, wrapping his arms around his back.

  
He isn’t quite fast enough and Cloud hits the bed with a light bounce, trapping those arms under his own weight while Zack looks at him with worry in his eyes.

  
_Too easy._

  
“Sunbeam, are y－”

  
And Cloud gets what he wants when he plants a big, sloppy smooch to his lips.

  
His boyfriend’s absent eyes blink once, twice, and then the realization settles in him and there’s a frown on his face. “ _Cloud!_ ” He nags, realizing he had fallen for his trick.

  
He just giggles with twinkling eyes. “I got what I wanted~, I got what I wanted~!” He sings.

  
“You… You devious little－”

  
Another kiss, followed by another giggle.

  
He knows Zack is trying his hardest to be firm, (maybe even annoyed with him), but he can see the façade crack at the corners of his mouth as he tries to bite back a smirk.

  
He just ends up sighing and breaks out into a grin anyway. “…You’re lucky you’re cute.” He says as he kisses him again. (Even though he said he wouldn’t.)

  
Cloud knows, though he won’t say it himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you so much for reading, and I hope it's been fun! :)

**Author's Note:**

> You might be asking yourself, 'Zimi, don't you have other fics to work on too?', and if you're not, well, you're probably thinking about it now - but to that I say, yes! Yes I do have other things to work on! But that will not stop me writing some cute, fluffy, self-indulgent content for a specific event that I might hopefully follow through and finish!
> 
> Aside from that, I hope you enjoyed the fic! and don't be shy to let me know what you thought or anything! Stay tuned for more ;)


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